Starting that day, upon Aira's insistence, Mia moved in with her. Initially, Aira found it rather difficult to communicate with Mia. Her words seemed to rarely reach her, as if she was protected by an invisible force that repelled anything new. When communicating with Mia she would usually only get a yes or no response, which became frustrating at times.

Time after time, she thought that their relationship had made some progress, but nothing seemed to stick. It seemed that night in the alleyway would be the only time she'd be able to properly talk with Mia. This realization made her a bit sad, but not nearly enough to deter her.

--

To Mia, being in this situation was frightening; she had constant worries and sleepless nights for at least a month. Mia was distrustful and suspicious of any attempt Aira made towards her. She doubted her safety as well as the kind patronage of Aira. Mia often thought about leaving. She thought about returning to the dank slums that she grew up in, but yet, a part of her chose to stay. For a length of time she still chose to keep her distance, worried, and uncomfortable, but most of all, skeptical.

Just as Mia initially felt uneasy about the situation, so did Aira. Each day, she had conflicting thoughts about her current situation. Should I have invited her? Was this the right choice? What should I do? These were the thoughts that raced in her head, but still, she knew that if she hadn't helped Mia, no one else would. She knew of the village's unspoken policies against those who are different. She thought back to when someone who was shunned for looking different went on a homicidal rampage and killed eleven people.

For a while after she met Mia, and after many attempts to get Mia's attention, she decided on one last plan.

She had one final idea... One last thing that she could use to get closer to Mia... To prove that she isn't like the rest of the village... To prove that she isn't a snake in the grass.

She'd tell Mia about her past.

--

It was an early Monday morning, and both girls had nothing to do... But of course one did. Today was the day that Aira would enact her plan. She began by waking up early and making breakfast, fresh bread given to her by her neighbor and a glass of apple juice that she bought from the market. The meal wasn't anything noteworthy, but it saved them from starvation.

--

"Mia.” Aira looked over to her with confidence written across her face. "You don't need to say anything but I'd like for you to listen".

Mia sat silent, not making a sound, but she would still listen to what Aira had to say.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

Moments passed before Aira began talking, hoping that her words wouldn't fall on deaf ears.

"For the longest time I lived with my family in a small one-room wooden house. Our place was situated in the middle of one of the many streets in Ako village. When I was young, my parents died.”

*Sniff

"My two loving parents were taken from me in a tragic accident. People told me that it was just a random accident and that there wasn't anyone to blame, but I didn't believe it and chose to take it into my own hands. It seems that they were in some shady dealings in the slums. From what I gathered it turned out that my father was a gambling addict, and my mother was a prostitute. Every night, I'd go to the slums and search for answers.” She paused and took a breath. A single tear traveled down her cheek, reaching her chin and falling to the wooden floor.

"I found nothing, and I had to accept it, but- I couldn't. I'd travel down to the slums and try to eavesdrop on people, hoping to hear anything.” Aira took a deep breath, hoping to calm her mind and continue.

"Eventually I gave it up. People always say forgive and forget right? I felt that it was necessary to let my parents' memory rest in peace, so I stopped investigating. Much later I learned to take care of myself. Most of the time I would do odd jobs around the village to earn money and eventually, I lived in a flimsy happiness. Some days I was content, other days felt horrible, but I knew I'd have to go on".

Aira looked over to Mia, a smile on her face, "One day, I was in the market and heard about you. I heard a few villagers talking about a girl with black and white hair always being abused in the slums, that even now one of their sons was tormenting her. I knew that I had to do something, so I ran as fast as I could and searched for you... I'm sorry that it took me so long to find you, I'm a little bit directionally challenged". Aira chuckled and continued, "I found you, the girl I had heard about only a little bit earlier, the girl I knew practically nothing about. When I first saw you I knew that I had to protect you".

Aira stopped for a moment, "Maybe it's all out of selfishness... Maybe something else but- but I truly wanted to save you, and I still do... Mia, please say something, anything. I'm dying here talking to a wall. All I want is to get to know you".

Tears fell down her face, "please", Aira grasped her kimono in her hand, squeezing it tightly. She now awaited a response.

--

To Mia, the whole situation felt strange and somewhat scary; after all, this girl showed up out of nowhere. For the first few days of Mia's living with Aira, she was always on edge, always worried.

Mia's heart has been cracked for so long, and her trust of anyone was minimal. She knew that Aira would constantly try to talk to her daily. With her only knowing pain, she hadn't a clue on how to react to Aira's kindness. Her lack of speech wasn't out of disliking Aira but rather, pitying herself for not knowing what to say.

Mia bit her lip. "I-I don't hate you, I just don't know how to talk to you. All of this is overwhelming, I don't even know what to say,- ish just that I ha-". Mia slowly began to sob as she spoke, her words gradually became inaudible.

For several minutes of Mia sobbing, Aira held her in her arms, "Thank you, I promise that I'll protect you, just as a big sister would".

--

That day was a new beginning.

Over time Mia began talking more and more. She grew to be happy as long as she was with Aira. The two girls lived together in complete happiness. Their day-by-day was bliss. They woke up together, ate food together, and practically did everything together.

For Mia, Aira was like a big sister; she idolized her and felt that whenever she was around it was safe. For Aira, Mia was her precious little sister whom she loved very dearly.

The bond between them was growing stronger each day.